If the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot is a bit of a slow-burner, not so much a "wow" as a "hmmmm" as it assembles its team of head-turning secret agents--they're the heroes behind the superheroes, operating in the shadows as the more famous good guys reap the headlines--the potential is sky's-the-limit huge for this clever action romp.

The action scenes are impressive, the cast admirably diverse (with Cliff Curtis especially strong as Ryan's demanding surrogate father), and the tone suitably rugged. All Gang Related needs to up the ante is a hero who's a little more "anti-."

What feels so tightly focused and earned in Breaking Bad too often comes off as forced and unconvincing in the land of the soulful bikers.... Still, Sons has a propulsive allure as it dramatizes Jax's attempts to take the gang legit (though he still condones murder when it's convenient) while battle lines continue to be drawn between the show's ferociously impressive leading ladies.

The pressure [from the recount] brings out the worst in characters who have never shied from revealing their basest natures. Unfortunately, it also brings out the clumsiest in the show's writers, straining to one-up their own breathtaking cynical vulgarity with jokes in need for a rewrite. [2-8 May 2016, p.18]

Though the glacial pace is more akin to molasses, and the plotting offers few surprises in the first three episodes, there's a powerful contrast between these untended fields and the glittery L.A. skylines visible from the swank home of Charley. [5-18 Sep 2016, p.23]

Yes, there’s much that’s awful here, as there always was--some laughably bad acting, portentous flashbacks telegraphed so obviously you expect the screen to do one of those wiggly dissolves, writing that won’t cause Matthew Weiner (or his kids) any sleepless nights--and yet there’s an enjoyably lurid energy to this place that makes it only about 1,000 times more instantly watchable than last season’s dreary redo of 90210.

CBS sitcom The McCarthys covered similar ground--gay son coping with outrageous Roman Catholic family but The Real O'Neals freshens the premise with a more irreverent, fantastical approach. [29 Feb-6 Mar 2016, p.17]

Realizing that my pleas for viewers to seek out the original will only go so far, I'll say that after watching the first seven episodes of Gracepoint, it's worth a look. If it's your first look. Otherwise, perhaps not. It takes many episodes for the plot ever to diverge, and for the most part, any changes aren't for the better. (And that's especially true for most of the casting.)

From the few episodes I've seen so far, Body of Proof is just ordinary enough to be a success. There's nothing in it you haven't seen several hundred times before: a blend of CSI science, Bones banter, Mentalist uncanny acuity, House haughtiness, Rizzoli & Isles eye candy.